Barcino - Roman town of Barcelona

Map of Barcelona Roman walls and ruins. Barcelona was founded as a Roman colony called Barcino. The Roman town of Barcelona was founded by Emperor Augustus around 15-10 BC. The full Roman name of Barcino in the Latin language spoken by the Romans, was Iulia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino.

The Roman town of Barcelona - Barcino - was located entirely in what is now the gothic area of the Barcelona's medieval city Ciutat Vella.

If you look a bit closer at the present day map of Barcelona further down on the this page, you can clearly see the outline of the Roman Barcelona town of Barcino. On the map below we have marked where in Barcelona you can see remains of the 1.270 metre perimeter of Barcelona's ancient Roman walls - and other Roman ruins in the oldest part of Barcelona's 'Ciutat Vella' old city.

If you want to see more Roman ruins during your visit to Barcelona, consider visiting the Roman city of Tarraco - today called Tarragona, which is 1 hour south of Barcelona by car or train or on a day tour. In Tarragona you will find very impressive ruins of a Roman amphitheatre, Roman chariot racing circus and part of Roman Aqueduct bridge. Pictures Tarragona.

Where can you see remains of Barcelona's Roman walls? You can see them at the following locations

1. Plaça Vila de MadridVía Sepulcral - Roman necropolis. The burial site of the Roman city of Barcino with 70 tombs from the 2. and 3. centuries AD. The Roman cemetary of Barcino was outside the city wall lining the Roman road called Vía Sepulcral

2. Carrer de Duran i BasOutline of two arches of one of the Roman aqueducts

3. Carrer de la PallaRoman wall and defence towers

4. Plaça NovaTwo sections of Roman wall and two square towers from the second Roman city wall city built in the fourth century AD. In the fifteenth century the "Casa de l’Ardiaca" the Archdeacon's house was built on top of these walls. A reconstrucion of the arches of the aqueducts show where they provided water to the city.

5. Carrer de la TapineriaRemains of Roman walls

6. Plaça de Ramon BerenguerRoman walls with arches and defense towers

7. Plaça del ReiRoman ruins under the Plaça del Rei. These can be seen in the Barcelona History Museum - MUHBA

8. Carrer del Paradís 10-12Four remaining columns of the Temple of Augustus on Barcelona's Roman forum. These columns are now inside the premises of "Centre Excursionista de Catalunya." The columns are 9m tall. The Temple of Augustus was built in the 1. century BC and dedicated to Emperor Augustus. It was a hexastyle temple with 6 columns in front. The dimensions were 37 metres in length and 17 metres in width. Outside the street Carrer de Paradis 10 you can see a millstone that marks Mont Tàber, which was the highest point of the Roman city of Barcino. Mont Tàber was a hillock just over 16 metres high.